Similarity with Periodic List
When the civil registry is established through a national enumeration, the operational infrastructure
is similar to that used in establishing a periodic list (see Operational Infrastructure). More commonly, though, the
registry is compiled through the amalgamation of a variety of existing datasets.
Linking Existing Datasets
The linking of existing datasets presents civil registry officials with significant challenges in
establishing the operational infrastructure. This is because the datasets that are used in the civil
registry exercise have been collected for distinct purposes by several departments or agencies.
Thus, it is necessary to find or develop a common thread whereby these datasets can be linked and
rationalized. A number of challenges can be anticipated, which must be addressed if the
development of the civil registry is to be successful. These include the following:
- identifying the completeness of the lists. It should be expected that all such existing lists will
suffer from some incompleteness. For example, taxation rolls can exclude those who are not in
the paid workforce and thus have no taxable income. Homemakers, students, and retirees all can
be excluded disproportionately from taxation rolls. So too might the chronically unemployed or
those who through disability are effectively unemployable. Other databases may be able to
complement the taxation data, such as records on eligibility for various social services, or the
issuance of marriage or drivers licences. Similarly, immigration and naturalization records can
provide another useful data source, and basic records on births and deaths are typically a key
component of any civil registry.
- assigning a unique identification number. Linking across databases requires a system of
unique identifiers that can be used in each database. By far the most efficient way of doing this is
to provide a unique identification number to each citizen, which would be incorporated into each
of the separate databases, and form the cornerstone of the civil registry database. This can
require adjusting and updating all of the various databases that are components of the civil registry
system to ensure that the records on each individual include the common identification number.
This number may be assigned at birth, or at the registration of the birth, and stays with the
individual throughout his or her life. In implementing such a registration system, a phase-in period
is likely to be necessary so that those born before the implementation of this system can obtain
their identification numbers and have their records adjusted accordingly.
- using an identification card. When the civil registry is based initially on the registration at
birth, it is not uncommon to require an updating of the registry record at several points in time.
Confirmation of civil registration data can be required at the time of initial registration at school
and, as in Argentina, at the time of reaching sixteen years of age. This registration can also require
the citizen to obtain and carry an identification card, which has an expiration date and obliges the
citizen to re-confirm his or her registration at expiration.
